News: Roly-Poly Bridge
Heatherwick Studio's London based rolling bridge is an engineering marvel. Lots of fun, and immensely satisfying to watch (via YouTube, assuming you can't see it in person).
Heatherwick Studio's London based rolling bridge is an engineering marvel. Lots of fun, and immensely satisfying to watch (via YouTube, assuming you can't see it in person).
Ever since Stacy Peralta and the Z Boys brought surfing out of the sea, skateboarding has been confined to its rigid four wheels.
My first attempt at a helmet cam, yielded ok results, but I wanted something even better. The downside to all of this was cost, but it is very close to what I want now.
In order to create a fleece blanket, you will need 2 layers of fabric, for a no-sew version. Cut them evenly. Cut the 2 pieces of fabric to equal size. Cut away a 4" square from each of the corners. Then, cut 1" strips around the edges. Then, tie each pair of strips in a knot.
Ah, your mom’s wedding gown. You know – that 1980’s polyester monstrosity with poofy shoulders so large they’d darned near swallow your whole face that’s lurking in your folks’ basement? Yeah, that one.
Create your own T-shirt design with host Lisa Bleyaert by following along with this how-to video! All you need are a cotton t-shirt and some fabric paint and you’ll be on your way to a totally YOU fashion statement! You will need a t-shirt, fabric paint: green, glittery gold, black, and glow in the dark white, a piece of cardboard, and the step-by-step instructions in this video activity tutorial. Paint a t-shirt.
Nothing worse than the dreaded red wine stain. No need to panic if someone spills red wine on your crisp white shirt, tablecloth, or other washable fabric. In a few easy steps, the fabric can look as good as new. Learn how to remove a red wine stain with the folks from Martha Stewart's REAL SIMPLE. Removing stains has never been this easy.
Want to treat your furry best friend to a new pet bed? All you need are two identical pieces of fleece, batting, and a pair of fabric scissors. The best part is that there is zero sewing involved.
This video will show you how to make a funky hand bound art journal using only consumer waste and unused household items for materials. Items and materials for the project include cereal boxes (as the main material), scrap papers, scrap fabrics, broken jewelry, along with whatever else you wish to use to jazz up your art journal and make it unique.
The perfect gift for the baker in your life! Get a Mason jar, and then layer the jar with all the different dry ingredients you use to bake up a delicious rice pudding. Decorate with ribbon, fabric, and then tie the recipe around the neck of the jar! Put together a rice pudding kit as a homemade gift.
Incredibly bizarre, Mika Satomi and Clemens Pichler have designed a pair of DJ hoodies to theatrically visualize a DJ battle. Unfortunately, for me at least, Human Centipede is evoked (damn, I shouldn't have seen that movie).
Thinking about binding your own hardback book? Although it might seem like a daunting task, it can be done! And with ease... once you get the hang of it. Luckily, there is a written tutorial floating around on the web to help get you started. Materials you will need to bind your own hardback cover book include:
TheTribalButterfly, in this video tutorial talks about cosplay for anime and manga, but not really. She really talks about how to choose the perfect fabric for all your cosplay needs. Those fictional characters are just dying to get out of your body and on your body, so cosplay away with the right tools to perform this new art.
In Part I, Kirsten showed you how to create templates for your applique. In this video, Part II, we'll show you how to use these templates, along with a heat-fusible sheet, to pre-cut and easily apply our applique fabric. Our apron project is completed in this video!
Is your cotton tank top or beloved pair of jeans feeling a bit tighter than usual? If you need to un-shrink an article of clothing that has been left in the dryer for too long, then you can use baby shampoo, hair conditioner, or simply water to gently stretch and pull the fabric back into its original shape.
Using dry beans and and some scraps of cotton fabric, you can make your own DIY microwavable heat pack which can be used to relieve sore muscles, warm your hands when stepping outside into cold weather, heating up your pillow case on a freezing night, and more.
To make your own fabric softener at home, simply mix together six parts water, three parts white vinegar, and two parts hair conditioner into one solution. Once you're done mixing, use ½ cup of the solution for every load of laundry during the rinse cycle to soften your clothes and to keep them static-free.
Last year and the year before that, I gave some suggestions on DIY holiday gifts that you could make for family and friends, and this year, I wanted to follow up with even more Christmas gift ideas.
If the holiday season is stirring your dormant DIY spirit to make cool handmade things, then look no further than your fruit and vegetable drawer in your kitchen.
Elisa Strozyk's wooden textiles fold and drape in beautiful forms. Incredible how a hard material combined with a simple, pieced construction can take on both sculptural and fluid qualities. Truly innovative.
Painting your car's interior is a great way to enhance your driving surroundings and give you a new plush look. In most cases it can even increase the value of your car when you trade it in or sell it.
It turns out that the popularity of soft circuit electronics has leaked out of the interwebs and into the hands of the U.S. military. Soft circuit electronics allow you to literally sew electronics circuits into fabric using flexible conductive thread instead of wire. Soft circuits can be used for all sorts of fun projects, like the TV-B-Gone Hoodie and the Heartbeat Headband.
Is your earring collection exploding all over your room? Are you finding one earring under your bed, and the other by your bathroom sink? Get yourself organized with help from a DIY made earring display! To make this organizational tool, you will need:
This instructional video demonstrates how to make a Muppet style puppet. You will need markers, scissors, tape, a hot glue gun, spray paint, spare fabric and foam, and two ping pong balls for the eyes. Make a Muppet.
To use your washing machine you will need washing powder and fabric softener. Load the washing into the machine making sure you've separated whites from colors. Choose a low heat for delicates and a high heat for badly stained clothes. Use your washing machine.
This is a small sample of knitting, shown from cast-on to bind-off. Topic covers how to weave in cast-on and bind-off ends, and how to avoid those loose side stitches. This is a long overall stitch demo, from just string and sticks, to knitted fabric! Great tips for how to deal with common problems. Begin knitting.
For boutis, stuffing is inserted between stitched layers through small openings made by separating the threads of the backing fabric. Once the stuffing is complete the threads are pushed back into position to close the holes. Marie Yolande demonstrates the "white on white" process with contrasting colored threads for better clarity. Click the RealPlayer or Quicktime link to start the video. Quilt boutis provençal.
Shifting fabric, snags, and puckered seams are just a few of the pitfalls in working with silk. From choosing the right needle, thread, and stabilizer, to pre-shrinking and final pressing, learn how to simplify this intimidating process and correctly sew silk. Sew silk.
Crafter Shannon Barnes shares her technique for making flaunt cards, adorable greeting cards that can be used for any occasion. You will need mulberry paper blank folded cards, templates (you can get from the article part of the video), glue stick, 3-D fabric paint, pen or marker. Make flaunt cards.
This video demonstrates the massé shot, in which the cue stick is almost vertical and a bottom left English is used to curve the cue ball around obstacles. This type of shot drives the cue ball into the table and can cause damage to the table fabric. Despite the risks, a large-curve massé looks very impressive. Make a large-curve massé shot.
Making Your Own Roman Shades Are you an everyday Martha Stuart? You know, one of those do it yourself creative people who can make better household items than you can find at the store. It so, I found a great (quick to the point) video that will help you design and make your very own set of Roman Shades.
Katie's Pinkachu (Pink Pikachu) Costume and Farmville Costume Contest entry!
Fashion designer Manel Torres has teamed up with scientists at Imperial College London and designers at the Royal College of Art to invent spray-on clothing, an instant, sprayable, non-woven fabric-in-a-can.
If you've ever wondered how paper gets recycled, find out for yourself by turning your used, unwanted paperwork into fresh homemade paper that you can use again. Any type of paper can be recycle, whether it's used computer paper, paper grocery bags, or old flyers.
Uh-mazing...London based designer team Francesca Rosella and Ryan Genz have created a dress embroidered with 24,000 LEDs.
Solar Shades Looks like it's going to be another hot summer and this time of year, I always get questions about the best kind of Shades for the home! I may be a little bias in my opinion because I'm going through a more minimalist "less is more" style in my life right now. Taking the more modern design approach that is very popular right now, I wanted to talk a little about Solar Shades for the home.
Learn how to fix stretched sweater cuffs with the folks from Martha Stewart's REAL SIMPLE. Don't give up on that sweater with the loose, stretched-out cuffs?just follow these simple tricks to tighten the material, and you'll be ready to put that pullover back into rotation in a snap. These tips will help you fix those old, stretched out sweater cuffs.
I made this dress to attend a wedding, using a Laura Ashley pattern that is sadly now out of print (M5232, View C, http://mccallpattern.mccall.com/m5232-products-4726.php?page_id=522). It's supposed to be a modern style, but I used a stiff brocade as my fashion fabric. When I was done, I realized that the stiffness of the brocade made the skirt flare out and give it a 1950s style silhouette. I love this because it's like stealth vintage!
With a few meters of fabric you can do this strapless dress. For a cocktail party, to wear it with jeans. You will be the more chic and stylish girl in the room!
Paige Davis, of Trading Spaces joins Martha to decorate hand towels with stencils. Materials you will need are hand towels (flat weave), sheet of paper, letter stencil, tape,